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| World Taekwondo Federation | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Samseon-dong Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea |
| Membership | ASOIF |
| Website | |
The World Taekwondo Federation (more commonly known as WTF) is the International Federation (IF) member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the competition events of the martial art of Taekwondo.[1] International Federations (IFs) are international non-governmental organisations recognised by the IOC as administering one or more sports at world level.[2] The World Taekwondo Federation was established in South Korea on May 28, 1973, at its inaugural meeting held at the Kukkiwon with participation of 35 representatives from the world. The current president is Chungwon Choue, who was elected for a four-year term in 2005.[3] The WTF, which only governs the function of Taekwondo competitions and related support services, should not be confused with the World Taekwondo Headquarters, also known as Kukkiwon, which is a center of learning and research of Taekwondo located in Yuksam Dong, a different part of Seoul. Kim successfully lobbied to include Taekwondo sparring competition as a demonstration sport in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics, and official Full Medal Olympic sport beginning in 2000.
According to the WTF, "Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olympics." [4]
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Organisation structure
The organisational structure of the WTF has diverisifed at various times over its more than 30 year history to incorporate the various changes, affiliations and associations over these years of growth. As of 2007 the organisation is headed up by a General Assembly made up from members of the 182 member National Associations from the five world regions it represents. This in turn consists of a WTF Council composed of an Executive Committee and various sub committees. The Executive Committee comprises a president, secretariat, and an Advisory Council. The sub committees are made up of various departments within the organisation, including a technical committee and representative committees of games, women's, legislative, financial, medical, athletic and PR areas.[3]
Philosophical meaning
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- White Belt (10th Geup) - White signifies the innocence of the beginner and his ignorance of Taekwondo.
- Yellow Belt (8th Geup) - Yellow represents the earth, from where a plant takes root and sprouts as the foundations of Taekwondo are laid.
- Green Belt (6th Geup) - Green signifies the plant itself as, like a plant, the student's Taekwondo skills continue to grow.
- Blue Belt (4th Geup) - Blue represents the heavens above, the divine direction in which the plant is growing.
- Red Belt (2nd Geup) - Red signifies danger, warning the student of his own capability for damage and other students of his skill.
Sometimes, in other organizations, the green belt is excluded.
- White Belt (10th Geup)
- Yellow Belt (1 stripe = 9th Geup, 2 stripes = 8th Geup, and 3 stripes = 7th Geup)
- Blue Belt (6th Geup)
- Red Belt (3rd Geup)
Sometimes you will see striped belts between those above, to represent the remaining Geup grades, though this is more common in ITF Taekwondo.
When a student reaches Black Belt (1st Dan) he or she is considered to be a senior. Black is the opposite of white and therefore signifies the student's maturity and skill. It also signifies his mastery over darkness - that he is no longer afraid of evil or fear itself. From here on in the belts no longer change colour.
Senior levels are marked by progressing up through Dans. Promotion tests are much more difficult and dan grades may only be moved after number of years, rather than months. Although the belt remains black, a dan grade may be marked with white stripes, roman numerals, or nothing at all - it depends on the school. There are 9 dan grades in total and they are grouped into levels of responsibility, each with a corresponding title as follows:
- Novice (1st - 3rd Dan) is an Assistant Instructor or Boo-Sabum.
- Expert (4th - 6th Dan) is an Instructor or Sabum.
- Master (7th- 8th Dan) is a Master or Sahyun.
- Grand Master (9th Dan) is a Grand Master or Saseong.
Nine is a special number is Korean as it is 3 multiplied by 3 and three is itself a sacred number. In the old Korean script of Hanja, which has its roots in the languages of China, the number three is denoted with three horizontal lines, one above the other. From bottom to top the three lines signify Earth, Mortal Man, and Heaven. This word for three is shared with Mandarin, although in Hanja the pronunciation is altered. In Hangeul the number is written phonetically.
See also
- World Taekwondo Championships
- International Taekwondo Federation
- Korean martial arts
- Taekwondo
- Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics
References
- ^ "IOC-WTF". http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/if/fi_uk.asp?id_federation=21.
- ^ "IOC". http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/if/index_uk.asp.
- ^ a b "WTF". http://www.wtf.org/site/news/wtf.htm?realnum=34&page=18&keyword=&part=&mode=view.
- ^ "WTF". http://www.wtf.org/site/about_taekwondo/intro_taekwondo.htm.
External links
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